1 LOCATION AND SIZE

The small country of Brunei is an enclave (distinct cultural area or
country surrounded by a larger country) on the northern coast of the
island of Borneo. Brunei shares the island with two neighbors: the
Malaysian state of Sarawak and Indonesia. Brunei has an area of 5,770
square kilometers (2,228 square miles), or slightly more than the state
of Delaware.

2 TERRITORIES AND DEPENDENCIES

Brunei believes it has rights to a fishing zone in an area of the
Spratly Islands, land whose ownership is disputed among the Philippines,
Malaysia, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Although Brunei has not made a
formal claim on the territory, it does claim to have rights to fish in
the waters around the islands.

3 CLIMATE

The temperature of Brunei, a tropical country, averages from 23°C
to 32°C (73°F to 89°F) year round. Humidity stays at
around 80 percent. The northeast monsoon affects Brunei with heavy rains
in November and December. On Brunei's coast the annual rainfall
averages around 275 centimeters (110 inches), while inland rainfall
amounts to 500 centimeters (200 inches) or more. Brunei is out of the
path of most ocean storms such as typhoons, although it can be affected
by tidal surges.

4 TOPOGRAPHIC REGIONS

Brunei consists of distinct eastern and western segments, separated by
Malaysia's Limbang River valley, but linked by the waters of
Brunei Bay. The terrain in both the eastern segment (the Temburong
District) and the more populated western segment is composed of a
coastal plain rising gradually to hills and cut through by rivers
running north to the sea.

5 OCEANS AND SEAS

Brunei is strategically located on shipping lanes linking the trade
routes of the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean through the South China
Sea. The immensely valuable hydro-carbon deposits that have produced
Brunei's petroleum export boom lie mainly under the South China
Sea off Brunei's coast.

Seacoast and Undersea Features

The waters along the Brunei coast are filled with nutrients carried by
the rivers, so there is an abundance of marine life, making the area
productive for fishing. An estimated five hundred species of fish have
been identified in the coastal waters.

Sea Inlets and Straits

In Temburong District, in the east, the steep muddy banks of Brunei Bay
and its inlets form a major wildlife habitat.

Islands and Archipelagos

Brunei has thirty-three islands, comprising 1.4 percent of its land
area. Two are in the South China Sea. The others are river islands or,
like Pulau Muara Besar, are situated in Brunei Bay. The islands are
important wildlife habitats and are mostly uninhabited by humans.

Coastal Features

The western section of Brunei has a coastline on the South China Sea,
where sandbars lie between estuaries and the open ocean. The Belait,
Tutong, and Brunei districts have three river estuaries and significant
mangrove forests.

6 INLAND LAKES

There are a few lakes in Brunei. In Tutong District, a
77-square-kilometer (30-square-mile) nature park surrounds the unusual,
S-shaped Tasek Merimbun. The Wong Kadir and Teraja lakes are in Belait
District.

7 RIVERS AND WATERFALLS

Four indigenous river systems and one originating in the Malaysian state
of Sarawak flow north through and between the regions of Brunei to the
South China Sea. The Belait River, Brunei's longest waterway,
flows through western Brunei, as does the Tutong River.

The Brunei River runs southwest from an inlet of Brunei Bay (where
Bandar Seri Begawan is located). In the eastern segment of Brunei, the
Temburong River provides drainage for the entire Temburong District. The
Limbang River valley, which belongs to Sarawak, splits Brunei in two.

8 DESERTS

Brunei has no deserts.

DID YOU KNOW?

Brunei's ecologically intact peat swamps (rare in north Borneo)
are found in western Brunei.

9 FLAT AND ROLLING TERRAIN

In the west of Brunei, hills lower than 90 meters (295 feet) rise toward
an escarpment and the higher hills approaching the Sarawak border.
Brunei's highest peak, Mount Pagon (1,850 meters/6,070 feet), is
located in this region. Brunei's eastern sector is also covered
with low hills, which gain height close to the border with Sarawak. The
mangrove forests of Brunei's estuaries are an ecological
treasure, considered among the most intact in Southeast Asia. Mangrove
forests cover an estimated 3.2 percent of Brunei's land.

10 MOUNTAINS AND VOLCANOES

Brunei has no mountains.

11 CANYONS AND CAVES

There are no notable caves.

12 PLATEAUS AND MONOLITHS

There are no notable plateaus.

13 MAN-MADE FEATURES

There are no man-made features affecting the geography of Brunei.

14 FURTHER READING

Books

Edwards, David S.
A Tropical Rainforest: The Nature of Biodiversity in Borneo at
Belalong, Brunei.
Torrance, CA: Heian International, 1995.